New sports editor takes Mercury into new era

FILE - In this 1935 file photo, New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig poses with a bat. Following Lou Gehrig was a tall task for Babe Dahlgren after Gehrig ended his streak of 2,130 consecutive games. It’s a task not so dissimilar to replacing Don Seeley as sports editor of The Mercury, writes Austin Hertzog. (AP Photo/File)

The name Wally Pipp is at the ready for baseball trivia lovers any time Lou Gehrig’s name comes up. Sure, it was Pipp’s day off that allowed legendary New York Yankees legendary first baseman Gehrig to begin his then-record 2,130 consecutive games played streak. But who faced down the task of replacing the Iron Horse?

That’s me.

You could easily make the argument that Don Seeley deserves the moniker ‘Iron Horse’. For 42 years — the past 32˝ with The Mercury — he gave his best to this area, its athletes, this newspaper. He’s brought his best through the best of times and the worst — like surviving cancer in the mid-2000s. He beat it and came back to work, intent on doing what he always did — dedicating himself to promoting local sports.

Don steps away as the sports editor of this newspaper, but allowing him to step away as a writer entirely … that wasn’t going to happen under my watch. He will be staying on as a contributor for The Mercury and will continue his role as the leading voice on high school football in The Mercury’s area. That was my decision — the first of many great decisions I am going to make as sports editor of The Mercury.

Don used to like to joke — and those of you who know him know he does that plenty — that he taught me everything I know about page design and writing. And while that might not have been the case (he’d be the first to admit that, especially on the page design part) he was always quick to acknowledge a job well done by myself or the rest of the staff, just one of the things I truly did learn from Don. Another was how to care — care about a community, care about effort, care about commitment.

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I know better than anyone the changing landscape of the newspaper business. I live it daily. I see the die-hard newspaper lovers worrying about the changes this business is undergoing. In fact, it isn’t even accurate to call it the “newspaper business” anymore — it’s much more than that. But for many that is the primary expectation — a quality newspaper.

That isn’t going to change. I’ve been the chief designer of your print edition for seven years already, which is to say I am no outsider coming in to change the things you’ve come to appreciate. As Don’s right-hand man during that period I also share the same values of making local and scholastic sports a true priority.

But unlike Don, at age 30 I am a member of the computer generation and revere the possibilities and expansion of coverage that is afforded online. We will continue to cultivate that online presence with expanded stories, opinions and especially video via Mercury Sports Live (mercurysportslive.blogspot.com), pottsmerc.com, Twitter and other social media.

I recall a journalism class my senior year at the University of Pittsburgh and we acknowledged that this business was going to be changing very soon. We didn’t know when or how, just that it was going to happen. It happened and is happening right now, but a decade later I’m pleased to report I have a vision of where we are and where we’re going.

We’ve been encouraged by the interest in the first year of Mercury Sports Live, where the goal is to bring creativity and variety to a readership beyond the game story. The Mercury’s commitment to local coverage is unmatched throughout the region, a fact I wear as a badge of honor. There’s more growth to be done but the foundation is a solid one.

Dahlgren played 12 seasons in the major leagues as a journeyman, peaking with his 1943 season, his one and only season with your Philadelphia Phillies. He was named an All-Star that year.

Me and Babe, the Philadelphia area must just fit. It brings out All-Star worthy performances. I’m not going to break the streak.

About the Author

Austin Hertzog is the Sports Editor of The Mercury. An Ephrata High School and University of Pittsburgh graduate, he is in his eighth year at The Mercury. He is a newlywed and an avid tennis player. Reach the author at ahertzog@pottsmerc.com
or follow Austin on Twitter: @AustinHertzog.